EBV & HIV

Feb 24, 2008

Hi i've recently found out that I have the Epstein Barr Virus in addition to HIV. Does this worsen my prognosis any? only i've read there are strong links between EBV & cancers if you have HIV. What are the risks? Worried now! Thank you.

Response from Dr. Holodniy

Most people have been exposed to and therefore are infected with EBV (whether they are HIV infected or not). It is a virus in the herpes virus family and so therefore, once infected essentially always infected. In general, the worse one's immune status (whether from HIV or other causes) the more likely one is to have complications associated with EBV infection. So depending on what your CD4 count is and whether you are on or need HIV treatment at this time, helps determine risk of manifesting EBV infection associated complications.

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